F-Droid

Broken links aside (fix incoming), #FDroid raises the case against the #Google developer forced registration once again.

We'll skip the small talk, go read, and better yet, spread this wide and far: https://f-droid.org/2025/09/29/google-developer-registration-decree.html so people are made aware, actions can be taken and #Android is kept truly open!

F-Droid and Google's Developer Registration Decree | F-Droid - Free and Open Source Android App Repository

For the past 15 years, F-Droid has provided a safe and secure haven for Android users around the world to find and install free and open source apps. When co...

Sep 29 at 9:43amWeb
Show threadอัคคาวินSep 29
@fdroidorg your citing format doesn't seems to render properly in the web?
Show threadRadasbonaSep 29

@fdroidorg I'm wondering: is a stock rom with removed Google Apps still under this restriction?

removed with #shizuku / canta.

#FDroid #android

Show thread𝔱.𝔥.Sep 29
@radasbona @fdroidorg if i understood google's pitch of this walled garden concept correctly, then you wouldn't even be able to get into developer mode with the restriction.
(though it's been around a month since i've read it, so my memory could be off)
Show threadRadasbonaSep 30
@trzyglow 😳 that would be the end of unlooking oem look
Show threadF-DroidSep 30
@trzyglow @radasbona They did not say that, for now "you can use adb if you are a developer".
Show threadjust a blåhajSep 29
@radasbona @fdroidorg nope
if you disable/remove GMS and GPlay, google cannot do shit to your android
if you root, you can force it to install/replace GMS/GPlay with microG
Show threadRadasbonaSep 30
@a_blahaj my last phone with root is long ago.
just removing the "shit bringer" is enough for me 😉
Show threadF-DroidSep 30
@a_blahaj @radasbona We don't know the exact mechanism, we can imagine system components being tied to "verification lists". This might not be an issue for those few rooted users.
Show threadBoltSep 29

@radasbona @fdroidorg

Short answer: It depends on the ROM, not any Google apps. If it's from a major manufacturer, probably.

Long answer: It's only on "certified Android" devices, and by that they mean on ROMs that are "certified" by Google, and installed on devices, but you can still replace that "certified" ROM with a non-certified one, such as GrapheneOS, LineageOS, etc, which wouldn't be under the restriction.

https://www.android.com/certified/partners/

They clarify in their blog.
https://android-developers.googleblog.com/2025/08/elevating-android-security.html?m=1

Android – Certified - Partners

Many manufacturers test Android devices for security and performance and preload them with Google apps. See manufacturers of certified devices.

Android
Show threadF-DroidSep 30
@boltx @radasbona "You can replace" is a big gamble with dwindling number of devices that you can buy today to even try. Are the best devices still from Google itself? Interesting. Did the biggest Android vendor on this side of the world (ughh-Samsung?) just blocked unlocking? Bad luck.
Show threadel_haych2024Sep 29
@fdroidorg formatting of article with links is very off putting.
Show threadBoloMKXXVIIISep 29
@fdroidorg Fortunately, de-googled Android phones are a thing. I am in need of a new phone and will be looking in this direction. I am hoping Google is stopped from implementing this new policy, but with the current administration, I see little chance of that happening. F-Droid has been my first choice for apps for a couple of years now. I hate to think of them ceasing to exist.
Show threadDan BrownSep 29
@fdroidorg there's also the CMA which folks in the UK can report to. I documented my report here: https://danb.me/blog/google-developer-verification-cma/
Reporting to the CMA: Google Android Developer Verification · Danb Blog

Danb Blog
Show thread42netSep 29
@fdroidorg I remember microsoft doing everything in it's power to destroy open-source alternatives to windows...now it's google's turn!
Show threadtherainingmonkeySep 29
@fdroidorg
Will custom ROMs like Lineage be a way around this?
Show threadartimanSep 29
@therainingmonkey @fdroidorg from lineageos maintainer
> Disclaimer: I have been a maintainer for LineageOS and a long time user.
Whoever advocates for LineageOS don’t get it. Using LineageOS will not fix any issue like this.
Already today using LineageOS means give up on banking apps, ID apps, and even McDonald’s and some games like Pokemon.
Yeah because Google with play intergrity now demands valid keys that gets invalidated as soon Google detect they are used for such usage. The cat and mouse game suddenly got much harder to beat.
So no, using LineageOS will soon be possible only with secondary devices and not your primary that you will need for your actual stuff to work.
Show threadrakooSep 29
@fdroidorg

> we cannot “take over” the application identifiers for the open-source apps we distribute, as that would effectively seize exclusive distribution rights to those applications.

I'm not sure I completely understand: does this mean that if an app chooses a unique name, say com.something.super.app, then it somehow belongs to google ? You don't want to becomo another central point of apps identification ? Naively it seems like every dev team could just distribute on f-droid with the id they choose, so I don't see what is blocking
Show threadF-DroidSep 30
@rakoo It means that only the package with Google approved signature can be installed on the "certified devices". F-Droid might host a package named the same with the same signature (reproducible build) and all be fine or F-Droid might sign itself and Google controlled devices will reject the package.
Show threadrakooSep 30
@fdroidorg oooooh I thought Google was only requiring the names of devs, I didn't understand it was this bad
Show threadBenjamin BraatzSep 29

@fdroidorg Did they already announce if and how they want to force phone vendors to leave that requirement in *their* versions of Android?

If they only lose the title of “certified Android device” but everything else still works, it should be possible to demand from the vendors that they … just undo that for their flavours of Android.

Or is “certified Android device” the requirement imposed by *other* apps to be installable (the thing that makes a lot of banking apps not work on custom ROMs)?

Surely hope that @Fairphone (inactive on the fediverse?) will still allow me to run F-Droid irrespective if Google takes that plan back or not.

Show threadF-DroidSep 30
@HeptaSean @Fairphone Vendors want to be certified to be able to carry Google apps (Youtube, Maps, Play, etc), they'll not endanger that. As the terms are not clear (does Google enforce signature blocking for certification purposes? Is the vendor allowed to add a toggle? Can #EU ask all vendors that want to sell to Europeans to add a toggle? etc) we can't know.
Show threadDan Fixes Coin-OpsSep 29
@fdroidorg this is an important post but it's littered with errors, got a bunch of [^thiskindofthing] all through it, gonna be very hard for an average non-technical person to understand what you're trying to get across here
Show thread⪨༒𓊈𒆜🅽🅴🆆🅼🅰🅽𒆜𓊉༒⪩Sep 29
@fdroidorg
"The life of righteous may be swallowed by deceit for a time — but in the end, righteous will prevail."
Show threadSoulfire The Wolf Sep 29

I always ignore any terms that try to shrug off “sideloading” as a made up euphemism or anything because I think it applies to any system that offers a built in way to download and install software.

Apt on Debian and Ubuntu ships with repositories maintained by the community. But users can also choose to use other resources, including ones from off the internet entirely, or call dpkg with a file directly. So I would personally call making any changes to that to be “sideloading” in a way. The only difference is that you are allowed (and actively encouraged) to do so with Linux (as long as you have an understanding of what you are doing).

Show threadSoulfire The Wolf Sep 29
A more specific example, Google Chrome isn't available on the repositories included with Ubuntu. But users can choose to download the Google Chrome DEB file and not only add the app itself, but also the additional repositories needed to keep Chrome up to date.
Show threadLyubomir Ganev Sep 29
@fdroidorg done
Show threadLyubomir Ganev Oct 2

@fdroidorg

They've replied. Not instant confirmation, but at least they are aware and will review the process.

Show threadF-DroidOct 2
@luboganev "proportionate" ? 💯% of apps you can't install won't scam you.
Show threadPlsik (born in 320 ppm)Sep 29
@fdroidorg The likely scenario is that those of us who use F-droid will eventually be able to circumvent this restriction. Even if I had to stop using the banking app on my phone, I could still use the browser on my phone or computer for banking transactions.
The rest of the population that uses Android won't even notice anything and will continue to download from Google Play whatever the ads show them.
Show threadF-DroidSep 30
@plsik But you will notice when your Google entrapped friends and family can't install the same nice apps from F-Droid: to take notes, to browse without scammy ads, to play or to communicate with you.
Show threadViktoria D. Richards/UddelhexeSep 29

@fdroidorg

Question for understanding:

In case google isn't stopped by law:
Can in theory, users of custom rom degoogled Android versions in phones still use the F-Droid store like normal?

80% of my Apps now are open source anyways and the other ones ( as of now) work without google services or might be ok with microG.

I' d rather deal with not having Banking- Apps and nfc running on my phone ( not using both from phone anyways) than succumbing to googles world-domination fantasy.

Show thread455Oct 1
@v_d_richards @fdroidorg
They will work, verification is done with play services, degoogled ROMs won't be affected
Show threadViktoria D. Richards/UddelhexeSep 29

@fdroidorg

Ich würde mir auch vom @BMDS Beiträge dazu wünschen, wie die Einstellung zu dieser MonopolisierungsHandlung von Google ist, die faktisch dazu führt, dass die gesamte mobil digitale Alltagsnutzbarkeit von unverzichtbaren Diensten (Banking, Fahrkarten, NFC...) komplett von 2 US Konzernen abhängig gemacht wird.

Google hat damit faktisch komplette Kontrolle über 70+% des Handymarktes und dessen Software + Infrastruktur der EU.

Wohin kann man sich als Bürger wenden?

Show threadJonesSep 29

@fdroidorg

Hello 🙂

More or less at half of the page, you have written:

«The F-Droid project cannot require that developers register their apps through Google, but at the same time, we cannot “take over” the application identifiers for the open-source apps we distribute, as that would effectively seize exclusive distribution rights to those applications.»

This passage is unclear to me, could you explain better?

Anyway, i don't understand how google could prevent a software developer to just release their source code and builds without registering themselves and their apps with google, so i guess that the problem would "only" be with developers who want to put their apps on google's store too. I also guess they are many, for obvious reasons; anyway, if google will act accordingly to its announcement, i think f-droid should, if possible, go on distributing apps by those developers who would not choose to comply to google's diktat (while i seem to understand there would be no possible technical solution for those who would choose to comply).

(1/2)

Show threadJonesSep 29

@fdroidorg anyway, at the end of the post you've written:

«If you are a developer or user who values digital freedom, you can help. Write to your Member of Parliament [https://www.europarl.europa.eu/meps/en/home], Congressperson [https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative] or other representative, sign petitions in defense of sideloading and software freedom, and contact the European Commission’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) team [https://digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu/contact-dma-team_en] to express why preserving open distribution matters. By making your voice heard, you help defend not only F-Droid, but the principle that software should remain a commons, accessible and free from unnecessary corporate gatekeeping.»

Since i live in italy, i'll certainly try to contact https://www.europarl.europa.eu/meps/en/home and https://digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu/contact-dma-team_en 🙂

(2/2)

Home | MEPs | European Parliament

Search for a Member per geographical map of the European Union

Show threadtrissc̈henSep 29

@fdroidorg tbh I don’t exactly get how this affects F-Droid at all. Like, if you’re saying it does, I’m sure that’s true, but I don’t understand what Google is intending to do in that regard. Also obviously still incredibly evil of them regardless.

And what Google achieves with that for me (who was about to purchase a new not just Android but Google phone specifically) is making me delay that purchase and more seriously consider some sort of Linux phone instead 🙃

Show threadF-DroidSep 30
@trisschen If you can't even install F-Droid, there is no F-Droid.
Show threadMichael LabowiczSep 29
@fdroidorg @SeanCasten Thanks for your presence on the Fediverse and for your service to our country. Can you take a look at the issue that F-Droid is bringing up? I think its the beginning of an attempt by Google to completely control what apps can be run on an Android device, and could lead to limits on free speech and expression on their platform.
Show threadpak0stSep 29
@fdroidorg I'm confused, why people think using de-googled ROM flavors won't have this restriction? Chances are Google will poison the Android SDK directly.
Show threadF-DroidSep 30
@pak0st When you build an Android distribution you can decide what to put inside. Depending on what layer the restrictions are setup, this might impact non-Google versions or not.
Show threadpak0stSep 30

@fdroidorg that is true. The actual implementation can cause differences in how they will lock it down. Would the Android SDK binaries enforce the verification? Would we have to build the SDK tools from source to disable it? Perhaps it would be some system service in the ROM itself?

With the recent release changes on AOSP, I feel Google will absolutely make the process as painful as possible to revert the "security enhancement". Technically it would be possible, practically tho...

Show threadAlexander Sosedkin Sep 30
@fdroidorg

> at the same time, we cannot “take over” the application identifiers for the open-source apps we distribute, as that would effectively seize exclusive distribution rights to those applications.

I'd probably be fine handing my over, and definitely be fine with handing over one prefixed or suffixed for f-droid. Claim a namespace?
Show threadTom RitchfordSep 30

@fdroidorg Signed!

Quibble: it's spelled "provenance", without the "i". 🙂

Thanks for doing this. It's not just the freedom to use our own gear the way we want it, it's the lack of desire to have American companies to tell us what to do.

Show threadLarry (Mr.Optimization)Sep 30
@fdroidorg Maybe we can get all of the F-Droid developers to walk away from the awful Java environment and put their energy into native apps running on Ubuntu Touch 🤪
Show threadSabrina Web  📎Sep 30
@fdroidorg this looks like the best place to ask this question.
Hypothetically, if a developer chooses not to register with gooooogle, but still writes apps and publishes their code on gitea or codeberg or some other repository, can they still have their apps on fdroid? Maybe not on play store, but in fdroid?
Show threadJonesSep 30

@sabrinaweb71 @fdroidorg

(i've made this question too, yesterday: https://todon.nl/@jones/115289193010522287)

Jones (@[email protected])

@[email protected] Hello 🙂 More or less at half of the page, you have written: «The F-Droid project cannot require that developers register their apps through Google, but at the same time, we cannot “take over” the application identifiers for the open-source apps we distribute, as that would effectively seize exclusive distribution rights to those applications.» This passage is unclear to me, could you explain better? Anyway, i don't understand how google could prevent a software developer to just release their source code and builds without registering themselves and their apps with google, so i guess that the problem would "only" be with developers who want to put their apps on google's store too. I also guess they are many, for obvious reasons; anyway, if google will act accordingly to its announcement, i think f-droid should, if possible, go on distributing apps by those developers who would not choose to comply to google's diktat (while i seem to understand there would be no possible technical solution for those who would choose to comply). (1/2)

Todon.nl
Show threadF-DroidSep 30
@sabrinaweb71 They can, but then their friends and family can't install their app. Who wants that?
Show threadJonesSep 30

@fdroidorg @sabrinaweb71

So, correct me if i'm wrong, the matter is this: if the google diktat will be actually enforced, no app not signed by google will be able to run on android.

Show threadF-DroidSep 30
@jones @sabrinaweb71 We see this confusion a lot. Google will only hold "a list of application ids and their associated signatures" that they *approved*. The signing part continues as usual. Play apps after Nov 2021 will be signed by Google, older ones will be signed by the developers. On F-Droid, apps are signed by the developers (reproducible builds) or by F-Droid.
Show threadJonesSep 30

@fdroidorg @sabrinaweb71

Thank you. So it would be technically possible to keep f-droid.org running, even if google will actually enforce their diktat (as is very very probable, i seem to understand), to distribute the apps of those developers who would not register with google, right? And maybe also the apps of those developers who would?

Show threadF-DroidSep 30
@jones @sabrinaweb71 We sure do can, but we are also aware that the wast majority of our users is not running Google-free devices.
Show threadJonesSep 30
@fdroidorg @sabrinaweb71
So these apps that f-droid.org could still distribute, regardless of whether developers will choose to register with google or not, will *not* run on any phone with... what? The "google play services"?
Show threadF-DroidSep 30
@jones @sabrinaweb71 On the so called "stock" phones that come with Google apps, yes.
Show threadJonesSep 30
@fdroidorg @sabrinaweb71
Thank you :)
So f-droid would still work only on fairphones and other very costly degoogled phones, right?
Show thread🌸 lily 🏳️‍⚧️   θΔ ⋐ & ∞Sep 30
@jones @fdroidorg @sabrinaweb71 only on murena fairphones, not the normal google ones. it would also (from what i understand) work on any android phone running a non-google rom, like a pixel with grapheneOS
Show threadJonesSep 30
@tauon @fdroidorg @sabrinaweb71
Thank you :)
So, it would run only for an even smaller user base of people with lots of money.
Show thread🌸 lily 🏳️‍⚧️   θΔ ⋐ & ∞Sep 30
@jones @fdroidorg @sabrinaweb71 i wouldn't say "lots of money", you could get a phone that can run a non-google os for relatively cheap, if your own phone can't do it (although, would you really want to wipe your phone to unlock the bootloader?)
it just means people can't use their existing setup to run the apps, which is mega bullshit (and yes, they shouldn't have to pay more to be able to)
Show threadJonesSep 30
@tauon @fdroidorg @sabrinaweb71
I've searched many times for a degoogled rom supporting the 3 phones i have had (a ~100 euro samsung phone, another one, and the one i currently use, a nokia c-20 that i've bought for 60 euros), and never found one, so it is evident to me that this google diktat, when enforced, would cut out the vast majority of the people of the world from the possibility of running on their phones free and open source and much much more secure apps that don't spy on them.
Show threadkainisenniOct 1

@jones
Fairphones aren't degoogled by default, you have to do that yourself. If the Fairphone is running the stock Google-certified ROM, apps from devs not approved by Google (so most on F-Droid) won't install.

Degoogled phones don't have to be costly though, I'm running LineageOS on a budget Motorola from 2019. There are less and less phones with unlockable bootloaders though, and that's a problem because you need that for degoogling.
@fdroidorg @sabrinaweb71